The rubber construction material of the trim which insulates the windshield against water and air leakage is inert to chemical bonding with urethane, preferred as the adhesive in auto windshield installations because of its pliability in its initial condition as a viscous mass, and its subsequent curing into a solid condition providing a firm adhesive connection. As a substitute for the unavailable chemical bond, mechanical interlocking substitutes have been proposed such as a frictional grip established between the trim or reveal molding and windshield to supplement the urethane bonding as disclosed and illustrated in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,731 issued for "Vehicle Reflective Molding" on Nov. 17, 1992, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,119 issued on Aug. 2, 1979 to Hedeen et al. which describes a window reveal molding 50 which, according to accepted practice, has retrorse fins 58-68 on opposite sides of a depending stem 54 to become embedded into the curing urethane. While the aforesaid prior art installation procedures are generally effective, they do not contribute to a preferred technique of preframing or preaffixing the molding to the windshield and attaching same as an assembly in the auto windshield opening, as distinguished from an alternative technique of inserting the molding in the gap between a previously positioned windshield and the body flange bounding the windshield opening.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to achieve an effective windshield installation using to advantage a handling method for the molding overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object to construct the molding, which can readily be done because it is an extrusion, using an extrusion die that produces a cross sectional profile or configuration that enables the molding to be more easily, than has heretofore been possible, placed in encircling relation about the peripheral edge of the windshield.
Underlying the present invention, and as should be readily understood as the description proceeds, is the recognition that the task of preaffixing a "tight" friction-fitting molding is significantly enhanced by construction of the molding to serve this end. Thus, a leg extruded integral of the molding is provided as a convenient hand grip by which, once gripped and urged through a pivotal traverse, provides an available compartment into which the peripheral windshield edge is readily projected to achieve a desired subassembly of windshield and molding, preparatory to a final assembly of same in an auto windshield opening.
The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof within the ambit of the appended claims.